1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method using statistically and visually analyzed product manufacturing test data contained within a data warehouse to control a component manufacturing process. More specifically, the invention comprises a method and system for using data-mining techniques to identify correlations between component manufacturing test attributes and variations in performance for products in which the components are included.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Related Information
Today""s ever smaller manufactured products may comprise multitudes of components which are assembled in manufacturers"" manufacturing facilities. In order to secure steady supplies and obtain lower pricing on components, manufacturers of the products may use a plurality of sources for the components. Such a diversification technique may include receiving different groups, or lots, of the same component from different manufacturers to be included in the same product line or model.
Typically, components are shipped from the component suppliers in lots that have similar component manufacturing parameters. Such parameters may comprise, for example, the specific supplier from which a particular lot originated, the shipping method used for transporting the lot to the product manufacturer, or the time of year (date code) that the lot of components were manufactured. Such parameters may cause a variation in the quality, reliability or performance of a particular lot of components, thereby causing a variation in the performance of the assembled product.
The lots are typically identified by a lot number, called a component identifier herein, which identifies the lot to the product manufacturer and the supplier, the component identifier usually being used for accounting purposes or traceability to manufacturing parameters of the lot. However, especially with small electronic components, the component identifiers themselves may not be imprinted or bar-coded on the components themselves due to practical considerations such as component size, or the extra time and expense in manufacturing that would be required to do so. Therefore, once the components leave their packing materials in which they were shipped, the lot from which those components came from may not be able to be identified.
Certain lots of components may be in some way defective or vary in their performance due to the different manufacturing conditions referenced above, or due to a certain component supplier""s neglect or breach in promise to supply a certain quality of components. One solution that has been employed heretofore is for the manufacturer to test statistically significant numbers of components from each lot as they arrive from the individual suppliers. However, with products that are sold for low profit margins, such testing and delay in product assembly has become untenable. More and more product manufacturers have been forced to rely on component suppliers"" representations that the supplied components meet the standards set by the product manufactures, or that the supplied components fall within set standard deviation of performance within each lot. Such reliance has proven inadequate in countless situations, with many product manufactures having their products show variations in performance when it is too late to trace the suspect components back to the lot from which they came.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method for identifying the lots for components causing variations in performance of products. There is further a need for a system that organizes information relating products and the components that are included in those products. There is further a need to provide a system that can take a given group of products showing the variation in performance and statistically identify the lots of the components that are suspected of causing the variation. There is a further need for a system and method for identifying component and product manufacturing parameters that may be the cause of a product""s variation in performance.
The invention can be regarded as a method and system for providing a manufacturing quality information system for a manufacturer. The system comprises a means for receiving component identifiers from a component manufacturer, wherein the component identifiers are for identifying component manufacturing parameters which may comprise key manufacturing process indicators for a quantity of components received from the component supplier. A component identifier is an alphanumeric string that uniquely tracks a device or assembly through the manufacturing process. The system farther comprises a data warehouse for storing product identifiers, wherein the product identifiers are for identifying products manufactured by the manufacturer, and wherein the data warehouse is farther for storing the component identifiers. The system further comprises a relational means for relating the component identifiers with the product identifiers for the products in which the components are included. The system farther comprises a means for designating a sub-set of the product identifiers, wherein the sub-set of product identifiers is for identifying a sub-set of the products which have a variation in performance. The system farther comprises an analytical tool for identifying at least one of the component identifiers identifying component manufacturing parameters as having a correlation with the received sub-set of product identifiers, thereby identifying a component manufacturing parameter identified by the at least one identified component identifier as a possible cause of the variation in product performance.
The invention can also be regarded as a method and system for providing a component supplier quality information system for a component supplier. The system comprises a plurality of component identifiers corresponding to component manufacturing or test parameters for a plurality of components provided to a product manufacturer. The system further comprises a means for receiving product identifiers from the product manufacturer for identifying products in which the components are included. The system farther comprises a data warehouse for storing the product identifiers, and for storing the component identifiers. The system further comprises a relational means for relating the component identifiers with the product identifiers for products in which the components are included. The system further comprises a means for receiving a sub-set of the product identifiers, wherein the sub-set of product identifiers are for identifying a sub-set of the products which have a variation in performance. The system further comprises a data mining computer program for identifying at least one of the component identifiers as having a correlation with the received sub-set of product identifiers thereby identifying at least one of the component manufacturing parameters identified by the one identified component identifier as a possible cause of the variation in performance.
In another embodiment of the invention comprising another product manufacturing system, a method is described for using statistically analyzed manufacturing data for controlling product manufacturing. The method comprises the steps of creating a plurality of product identifiers, each product identifier for identifying at least one product manufacturing parameter for a sub-set of a plurality of products; designating a sub-set of the product identifiers which identify products which have a variation in performance; and correlating at least one of the product manufacturing parameters with the designated sub-set of product identifiers thereby identifying the at least one product manufacturing parameter as a possible cause of the variation in performance. Examples of product manufacturing parameters identified by the product identifiers may include number of drive platters, drive capacity or bios revisions for a product comprising a hard disk drive. The product identifier may further identify a manufacturer of a component and the site where the component was manufactured. Further identified attributes may include the manufacturing line, operator or assembly equipment identification code.